New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-04
up cURTJS ON The PRESIDENT

Are the Mugwumps getting ready to desert
tho Cleveland ship? 1t certainly looks so |;
and udgirg from the speech which George
William Curtis delivered at Newport yester-
day. he will be the first man of the contin-
gent to retreat over the gang plank. Report
ing to his fellow Civil Service rciormers In
regard to the work of the year, he took Pres
ident Cleveland severely to task. He ar
raigned him as having been false to Civil
Service reform. lie called attention to the
significant fact that = in survey OF the whole
[publicl service there has been almost as COM
plete change as was practicable, since an
entirely new force Of to ally inexperienced
officers would have prevented the regular
transaction of the public bus ness.' lie As
serted that 4" it would be great wrong to the
cause OF which the Civil S-rvice League Is
the authorized National representative III IL
did not plainly and emphatloally declare that
il does not regard the Adm nistratiOn, how
ever worthy of respect and confidence Tor
MANY reasons, as in any strict sense OF the
words Civil Service Reform Administra-
ton He characterized the Presidents CIR
cular warning ol1iceholders to avoid o truslye
partsanship as "a dead letter. aiding that
every recently it has been Ostentatously and
fagranty dcfied in Ba tmore AMI should the
defiance pass unremarIled the circular may be
regarded as withdrawn
Such is the verdict of the head and front
Of the Mugwumps upon Mr.. Cleveland now
that he has been President two years and five
months This inter, sting band Of reformefs
may well hang their heads and array them
selves In penitcntlal sackcloth as they reflect
upon what sort Of a man II is OIL their own
confession, that they helped b. place In the
White House In supDt ring Mr. evcland
in 1884 they were not to be understood as
supporting the Democratic paity-lhlt was tho
remar able sort OF JUNCTION which they laid
to their soul They have at 10 9Th discov-
ced-Mr Curtis certainly has-th,t the whole
is greater than any one OF It's parts; that the
dog wags the tail. not the tail thu dog that
the Democratic party controls Clc' Gland, not
Cleveland tho Democratic party. Just before
Mr. Curtis came out for Cleveand-and re-
form. he publicly denounc d the Democracy
as "a party which fell from power as a con-
spiracy against human rights, and now at
tempts 10 sneak back to mower as conspir-
acy for plumber and spois.' His speech OF
yesterday shows that he realizes that the con-
splracy for plumber and spoils Is success
under Grover Cleveland.
1t is only just to the distinguished Mug
wump to state that although he lets the Pres
idcnt down, he docs so gently. He shows
that Mr. Cleveland has made ducks and brakes
OF reform, but he observes that the possible
success of tho Democracy In 1888 depends
upon its denomination of the President who
is identified in the public mind with the cause
Of reform And with equal unconscious
humor Mr.. Curtis declares that "in express
ing disappointment it Is but justice not to
imply dstrust.' In short while hurting his
idol from its pedestal he makes desperate
but rather forlorn attempt to break the fall.